A. Field of the Invention
The invention is a guard for a curb inlet of a storm water management system. The guard of the invention is particularly suited for retrofitting of existing curb inlets to keep floating man-made debris such as bottles and cans from being swept into the curb inlet during rainfall events. Keeping the debris out of the curb inlet keeps the debris out of the storm water management system and out of the body of surface water into which the system drains.
B. Statement of the Related Art
Drop inlets frequently are used to drain storm water runoff from streets and parking lots. A drop inlet may be a ‘grate inlet,’ a ‘curb inlet,’ or a combination grate and curb inlet. A ‘grate inlet’ has a horizontal opening oriented generally parallel to the surface of the street or parking lot, with the horizontal opening covered by a grate. The grate is sufficiently strong to support the weight of a vehicle on the street or parking lot. A ‘curb’ inlet has an opening that is oriented generally normal to the surface of the street or parking lot and that is elongated in a direction generally parallel to the surface of the street or parking lot. The opening of a curb inlet usually is defined by the face of a concrete surround, which generally coincides with the face of the curb edging the street or parking lot. Curb inlets generally do not include a grate and are unobstructed. A ‘combination inlet’ has both a horizontal opening covered by a grate and a curb inlet opening that coincides with the face of the curb. The curb inlet portion of the combination inlet usually is not protected by a grate and is unobstructed.
Water entering the drop inlet through either the grate inlet or the curb inlet falls into a catch basin, from which the water enters a storm water management system and is directed to a stream or other water body. Water entering a drop inlet generally is discharged without treatment.
During a rainfall event, debris on the street or parking lot may be carried to the drop inlet by the flow of storm water. For a prior art curb inlet, the debris will be swept directly into the opening of the curb inlet and hence to the storm water management system. For a combination curb and grate inlet, debris that is adequately large is strained from the flow of storm water by the grate. If the grate becomes blinded by debris, or if the flow of water is adequately large, the water and debris flow through the unobstructed curb inlet and into the storm water management system. Any floating debris, such as bottles and cans, is carried eventually to the stream, river or other surface water into which the drop inlet drains.